Busy July

I hope you are enjoying your summer! We've had oppressively hot days with little rain. We are very thankful when it does rain!
Brian and I were in Charleston, SC for a week, visiting our son. We enjoyed seeing plantations and hearing about the history of the area. It is very humbling to think of the sacrifices made by the people who had the vision for this country. It was special to be in this area with rich history during the Fourth of July Celebration.

Of course, we enjoyed seeing Ryan and hearing about his life. We are so thankful for who he is. Here are a few pictures. The first two were taken at Magnolia Plantation. We saw the house, the barns and buildings necessary to manage the plantation, and the beautiful gardens. We learned about the lives of the family who lived there during those early days. Raising rice and indigo was their livelihood. Mr Drayton was the pastor of the Episcopal church, also.



This was taken during a walking tour of the walled portion of the city, before law and order were established. We were the only family that showed up for the earliest tour so we strolled with the guide at our leisure. The old church buildings have been through war, fires, and hurricanes. You can learn more about the history of the plantation and the area if you google Magnolia Plantation. There is an album of our pictures on the Picasa Web site.